France Introduces New Voluntary Military Service

French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new voluntary military service program targeting 18- and 19-year-olds to begin in 2026.
Participants will serve 10 months in France, including overseas territories, but will not be deployed abroad. Participants may then join the reserves, return to civilian life, or pursue a career in the active military.
The program will start with 3,000 volunteers, rising to 10,000 by 2030, with ambitions of 50,000 volunteers annually by 2035. Volunteers will be paid and provided with equipment.
France currently has around 200,000 active personnel and 47,000 reservists. The country aims to increase reservists to 100,000 by 2030, creating a three-tier military structure of professionals, reservists, and volunteers.
Macron cited growing security threats from Russia and global instability as motivations for the program.

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